TurboChef's Stockholders Approve Merger with Middleby

  
    
  
  
    
      TurboChef Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ-GM: OVEN) announced that its 
      stockholders voted at a special meeting today to approve the merger of 
      TurboChef with The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ-GSM: MIDD). Shares voted 
      represented 72% of the total outstanding shares, and of which 99.5% 
      voted in favor of the merger. The parties expect closing to occur on 
      January 5, 2009.
    
    
      About TurboChef
    
    
      TurboChef Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of equipment, 
      technology and services focused on the high-speed preparation of food 
      products for the worldwide commercial primary cooking equipment market 
      and offers equipment for residential markets through the application of 
      its high-speed cooking technologies, as well. TurboChef’s user-friendly 
      speed cook ovens employ proprietary combinations of heating technologies 
      to cook a variety of food products at speeds faster than, and to quality 
      standards that it believes are comparable or superior to, that of 
      conventional heating methods. The address of TurboChef’s principal 
      executive offices is Six Concourse Parkway, Suite 1900, Atlanta, GA 
      30328. Visit TurboChef at www.turbochef.com.
    
    
      Forward-Looking Statements
    
    
      This document contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning 
      of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements 
      include, but are not limited to, statements relating to anticipated 
      financial and operating results, the companies’ plans, objectives, 
      expectations and intentions and other statements including words such as 
      “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” 
      “should,” “may,” and other similar expressions. Such statements are 
      based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the management of 
      TurboChef and involve a number of significant risks and uncertainties. 
      Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in 
      these forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, 
      could cause or contribute to such material differences: failure to 
      satisfy any of the conditions of closing; the risks that Middleby’s and 
      TurboChef’s businesses will not be integrated successfully; the risk 
      that Middleby and TurboChef will not realize estimated cost savings and 
      synergies; costs relating to the proposed transaction; disruption from 
      the transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with 
      customers, employees, distributors or suppliers; the level of end market 
      activity in Middleby’s and TurboChef’s commercial and residential 
      market; access to capital, the competitive environment and related 
      market conditions. Additional factors that could cause Middleby’s and 
      TurboChef’s results to differ materially from those described in the 
      forward-looking statements can be found in the 2007 Annual Report on 
      Form 10-K of Middleby, the 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K of TurboChef, 
      and the registration statement, as amended, of Middleby on Form S-4 and 
      the proxy statement of TurboChef relating to the merger filed with the 
      Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and other documents filed 
      by Middleby and TurboChef, and available at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). 
      Neither Middleby nor TurboChef undertakes any obligation to update any 
      forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur 
      after the date on which such statements were made.